Easter Sales Bring Brief Boost To UK Retail

UK retail sales increased by 5.6% in April of this year, compared to the same period in 2016 on a like-for-like basis, according to figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC).

In total, sales rose 6.3% in April against flat growth in 2016. This positive growth is the highest seen in the UK since 2011.

The UK experienced a strong surge in Food sales during the Easter holiday season, presumably thanks to Easter Sunday falling in the middle of April, which increased 3.6% in total - the highest growth on record since 2004.

The three-months to April displayed a faster rate of growth than the 12-month total average growth of 2%. Non-Food sales rose by just 0.7%.

Food Driving Growth

Helen Dickinson OBE, Chief Executive of BRC, said “Food categories continue to contribute the most weight to overall growth, although food inflation has a part to play in this."

Another noticeable surge was in Online sales of Non-Food product, which grew 8.2%, and In-store sales declined 1.3% in total.

While many figures are growing, UK Head of Retail, Paul Martin, insists that retailers don’t fall into a false sense of security.

“The retail landscape is changing fast and as such, agility and the ability to manage costs will remain critical.”